Claire Posillico

| June 16, 2011 - 8:51am

For fans of fresh corn in East Hampton, Claire Posillico’s was a familiar face. She was frequently seen selling ears by the dozen at the Bistrian stand on the corner of Cedar Street and North Main. She loved seeing friends and talking to strangers who stopped by, her family said.
Ms. Posillico, a Springs resident, died at Southampton Hospital on June 1 after an illness. She was 79.
She was born on Jan. 27, 1932, in Flushing, Queens, to Francis Baldwin and the former Marion Weber, and went through the school system there. She and her husband, Frank Posillico, who was known to friends as Cheech, moved to Gardiner Avenue in Springs in between 1969 and 1970, one of their sons, Robert Posillico, said. Mr. Posillico, senior, died in 2009.
For about a decade Ms. Posillico ran the Springs Fireplace Deli in a small shop on Springs-Fireplace Road that later became Plain and Fancy Catering. After closing the business, she spent much of her time with her grandchildren, who numbered five and whom she “really enjoyed being with,” her son said.
In addition to her son Robert, who lives in East Hampton, Ms. Posillico is survived by another son, Frank Posillico, and a daughter, Susan Morales, both of whom live in East Hampton, as well.
She leaves three siblings, Larry Baldwin of St. James, Barbara Ross of Westbury, and Tommy Baldwin of Glen Cove. A great-grandchild and 19 nieces and nephews also survive her.
A funeral was held at Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton on June 4. Burial followed in Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church Cemetery on Cedar Street in East Hampton.
Memorial donations have been suggested to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach 11978, or to the Springs Fire Department Ambulance Company, 179 Fort Pond Boulevard, East Hampton 11937.